Whether you are seventeen or forty-seven, it’s never too late to get a driving licence. Without a licence, people’s lives can be hampered considerably. However, this is easily rectified by attending lessons for professional instruction.
From the age of 16, a teenager can apply for a learner licence. Young adults who are seventeen years old and older are allowed to take a test providing they have kept a log book and they have chalked up 120 hours of driving. This must also include at least 20 hours of driving at night and that they have had a learner’s licence for a minimum of twelve months. However, learner drivers who are over 25 years old are excused from keeping a log book. They are also not required to have had a learner licence for a year.
Many people are not sure what the difference is between a Learner Licence, a P1 Licence and a P2 licence. In a nutshell, a learner licence is issued after an electronic test has been successfully completed and passed. This is known as a Driver Knowledge Test or DKT. It evaluates how well a candidate knows the rules of the road and other issues relating to road safety. There are 45 random questions that are spread over a broad spectrum of information, road safety awareness and traffic sign knowledge.
The computer test immediately informs whether or not the test has been successfully passed or failed. Candidates who carefully study the relative handbooks of road rules will find that it isn’t necessary to feel anxious about this first step. After a successful result a learner’s licence is issued and a yellow L Plate must now be displayed on the outside of car whenever a learner driver is at the wheel.
Learner drivers should be aware that they can be issued with demerit points. Speeding is a ‘no-no’, as a learner driver is given at least four demerit points for this offence and the licence is suspended. After three months, the learner driver can re-apply for a new learner’s licence. This is just one of the rules that are strictly enforced in order to promote safety.
A P1 (P stands for Provisional) licence is issued after a learner has held a learner’s licence for at least twelve months and all the necessary regulations have been followed. At this stage, a Provisional driver is allowed to drive without an experienced licence holder being present there is a restriction of 90 km per hour. The red P1 Plate must be displayed on the outside of a car. This licence is held for at least a year before the next phase.
The P2 phase is attained after another year and after the satisfactory completion of an electronic hazard perception test. The P2 Plate is green and, again, must be displayed on the exterior of a car. At this stage, a driver is not allowed to drive over 100 km per hour. The P2 licence must be held for at least two years. Thereafter, one can apply to become a full licence holder. There are many other rules and regulations that need to be studied in order to comply with government requirement.
Although tests preparation appears to be very involved and complicated. It’s not really. Just take it one step at a time and get in some good driving practice with a professional driving school, if possible.